PM defends health bill as criticism mounts
Released 08/02/2012
Nine out of ten BMJ readers have called for the scrapping of the Health and Social Care Bill, as the legislation enters the report stage in the House of Lords
Votes were cast over the over the last seven days on the BM’s website
Nine out of ten British Medical Journal (BMJ) readers have voted against the Government’s Health and Social Care Bill, responding to a poll by the publication that the legislation should be scrapped altogether.
A total of 2,947 votes were cast by readers of the BMJ to the question "should the Health and Social Care Bill for England now be withdrawn?" with 2,706 saying “yes”, and just 241 saying “no”.
The poll results were published just as the Health and Social Care Reform Bill enters its report stage in the House of Lords.
Editor-in-Chief of the BMJ, Dr Fiona Godlee commented on the results: "This poll reflects the extent of the opposition to this bill among doctors,” she said.
“We also have consistent anecdotal feedback suggesting that initial support for the aims of the government's proposed changes has haemorrhaged over the past year. Good people have left PCTs, and GPs are understandably unwilling to shift their role from patients' advocates to rationers of health care."
Speaking in the House of Commons earlier today Prime Minister David Cameron defended the bill. Facing down criticism of the bill from Labour leader Ed Miliband, Cameron stated that Lansley's career prospects were “a lot better” than the Labour leaders, adding: “I make this prediction, the NHS will go on getting better and his prospects will go on getting worse.”
Chief executive at The King’s Fund, Chris Ham, also spoke out against the bill today.
Ham stated that an important weakness in the continuing programme of health care reform in England “is the government’s failure to value the role of managers and to recognise the vital contribution they make alongside clinicians in ensuring the provision of high quality care," he said, writing in an editorial published this morning.
Confusion “deepening”
Meanwhile, Professor Martin McKee from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who has previously expressed the lack of clarity in the legislation has stated that his "confusion is only deepening" over the proposed NHS reforms.
Last month, McKee wrote to the BMJ asking: “Does anyone understand the government’s plan for the NHS?”
Minister for Health, Andrew Lansley responded to the question accordingly, justifying the bill as necessary to implement much-needed reforms to the NHS.
McKee stated that he is now reassured to know that the NHS will “remain free at the point of use” with regards to the minister’s response, though said that he is still unclear as to whether this covers those services, such as sexual health, that are being transferred to local government and therefore will no longer be “NHS.”
McKee continued to say "[The minster] has raised additional questions in my mind,” about the Health and Social Care Bill, “not least because in the 24 hours since his response was published he has published 137 amendments to the bill. I wonder if I am alone in struggling to keep up,” he added.
The Health and Social Care Bill is to commence its report stage in the House of Lords this afternoon.
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